At 82 years old, Henry Morgentaler is still Canada’s most visible pro-choice activist of the last four decades. Despite his age he is still as passionate and committed to his cause as he was in the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s – giving Canadian women access to safe and legal abortions. Confrontation with authority is familiar to Morgentaler. His journey to earn the title as the country’s best known abortion provider was unlikely, but expected considering the early traumatic experiences which led him to his eventual career. A Polish Jew who survived the Auschwitz death camp, Morgentaler has pointed out many times that unwanted children fighting against a family that abused them was one of the main causes of Hitler’s destruction against Jews as well as other groups of people. Morgentaler is quoted to have said in June 2005 at the University of Western Ontario, where he was awarded his first honorary degree that "Well-loved children grow into adults who do not build concentration camps, do not rape and do not murder.” Morgentaler said those Auschwitz years gave him a desperate need to accomplish something positive when and if he survived and got out of the concentration camp. His journey to recovery was not and easy one but it is what divides Canadian society to this day. When Morgentaler was finally liberated from Auschwitz, he won a scholarship and used it to study medicine in Germany. He and his wife immigrated to Montreal, Canada where he practiced family medicine and enjoyed his newfound freedom as well as life. For the next 17 years, the only Canadians who knew of Dr. Henry Morgentaler were his patients. However, in 1967, he made a dramatic debut on the national stage and entered the abortion debate. He went up before a government committee considering changes to the abortion law, insisting that any woman should have the right to end her pregnancy without risking her life because of someone who was not qualified to do the procedure. It was a risky position...

YOU MAY ALSO FIND THESE DOCUMENTS HELPFUL

...﻿Abortion Should be Legalized
The issue of abortion is very controversial in today's society.
Although many people think it shouldn't be legalized, there are just as many who
think it should. Your opinion rests with you and possibly the values you were
brought up with. Whether you think women should have the right to abortion or
not, you can find support for either side.
Many individuals take the side of anti-abortion or pro-life which means
they don't think women should have the right to abort an unborn child. This is
the con side of legalizing abortion. Some of the pro-life members think that
the reasons women shouldn't be able to abort is that the mother is ending an
unborn child's life and if the mother is old enough to get pregnant they are old
enough to have the child. Some pro-life activists think that even if you have
to put the baby up for adoption later you should still have it. Although some
of the reasoning that pro-life activist use, might seem a little ridiculous at
times many of the activist aren't able to have children or are just trying to
defend a baby that can't defend it self. The pro's of pro-life are that the
baby gets a chance to live and experience life outside of the womb and maybe
someone who is unable to have children will get the chance to be a mother or
father if they...

...Abortion is the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo before viability.[note 1] An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is often called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced. The term abortion most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy. After viability, the relevant procedure is referred to as a "late termination of pregnancy".[1][note 1] Modern medicine utilizes medications and surgical procedures for induced abortion.
Abortion, when induced in the developed world in accordance with local law, is among the safest procedures in medicine.[2] Uncomplicated abortions do not cause either long term psychological or physical problems.[3] Unsafe abortions, however, result in approximately 47,000 maternal deaths[3] and 5 million hospital admissions per year globally.[4]
An estimated 44 million abortions are performed globally each year, with slightly under half of those performed unsafely.[5] The number of abortion has stabilized in recent years,[5] having previously spent decades declining as access to family planning education and contraceptive services increased.[6] Forty percent of the world's women have access to legal induced abortions (within gestational limits).[7]
Induced abortion has a long history and...

...Abortion Rights R.v. Morgentaler, [1988] 1 S.C.R.30
Canada has a history with the controversial issue of abortion. The two sides to this topic have strong opinions about the right and wrong decisions when it comes to abortion. One might believe that abortion should not exist in Canadian society. These people are most likely known as pro-life; who believe abortion is equal to murder. Others believe thatabortion is a good thing, and has had a strong impact on Canadian society. These people are pro-choice, they believe abortion is a way to help an individual's life for the better. The R.v. Morgentaler case was about two men, including Morgentaler who were licensed physicians, they set up a private clinic providing abortion services to women who did not have the necessary approval and they were criminally charged. The R.v. Morgentaler case made a significant impact on Canadian society; more broadly this case impacted the women of Canada by granting women greater equality rights, giving them a healthier along with a safe lifestyle, and it got rid of illegal acts made by doctors.
The R.v. Morgentaler case illustrated that women in Canada have equal rights. They have the right to make decisions about their own life and what they can and cannot do. In order for one to run an...

...Abortion is a very controversial subject that has been continually argued over for the past few years and probably many years to come. Abortion can simply be defined as the removal of an embryo or foetus from the uterus in order to end a pregnancy. Also a surgical method for terminating a pregnancy especially during the first six months is called a spontaneous abortion or a miscarriage. Abortion was illegal in Canada not until the Canadian parliament passed a law that allowed abortion in certain circumstances to protect the “health” of the mother-the word health was not defined or limited. Then the justice minister Pierre trudeau introduced a bill to amend section 251 which stated that abortion could only be performed in accredited hospitals by licenced medical practitioners if approval could be gotten from the therapeutically abortion committee. In January of 1988 the supreme court of Canada found the process to be unconstitutional, the law was later rendered enforceable and abortion was criminalized. As of march of 1988 women could now obtain abortion in all provinces and territories of Canada with the exception of the province Prince Edward Island.
Abortion for many years now has been misinterpreted by lots of different people with different life situations and different opinions have been said about abortion....

...years abortion has been a social, and political debate in the U.S. Abortion continues to create controversy between the states, and a number of human rights groups. This controversy has caused each state to develop their own set of laws regarding the issue, and some have also passed abortion bans throughout the years. By leaving such a big decision up to individual states, women’s fundamental freedoms are denied to them. Denying women the right to control their own bodies is not only unconstitutional, but it also violates the ninth, and fourteenth amendment. Rather than continuing to allow state legislators to have the power to make such decisions, abortion should continue to be legalized on a federal level, and nothing less.
Abortion has been a source of controversy throughout the history of mankind. Methods of abortion have been recorded in early civilizations dating all the way back to the ancient Egyptians. Around the time that the constitution was created, the termination of pregnancy was not only legal in the U.S. but it was openly advertised, and regularly performed. Laws against abortion did not arrive until the mid-1800s. Some of the first abortion laws made in 1820, were created to forbid the procedure after the fourth month of pregnancy. By 1900, doctors and legislators outlawed most abortions in the U.S. Because of these laws, “back...

...﻿
Against Abortion
Shelby Taylor
Harrison College
Medical Law and Ethics
John Heppner
December 8, 2013
Abstract
Over several centuries and in different cultures, there is a rich history of women helping each other to abort. Until the late 1800s, women healers in Western Europe and the U.S. provided abortions and trained other women to do so, without legal prohibitions. The State didn't prohibit abortion until the 19th century, nor did the Church lead in this new repression. In 1803, Britain first passed antiabortion laws, which then became stricter throughout the century. Abortion became a crime and a sin for several reasons. A trend of humanitarian reform in the mid-19th century broadened liberal support for criminalization, because at that time abortion was a dangerous procedure done with crude methods, few antiseptics, and high mortality rates. But this alone cannot explain the attack on abortion. For instance, other risky surgical techniques were considered necessary for people's health and welfare and were not prohibited. ``Protecting'' women from the dangers of abortion was actually meant to control them and restrict them to their traditional child-bearing role. Antiabortion legislation was part of an antifeminist backlash to the growing movements for suffrage, voluntary motherhood, and other women's rights in the 19th century....

...In today’s society, opinions on abortion span from one side of the spectrum, to the other. Many argue that it is unethical to take away an unborn child’s life, and that it should be illegal. Others argue that the women has a right to abort her unborn child, due to the 14th amendment. The issue became controversial due to the Roe V. Wade case, and has since then been counter challenged by many groups. Governor Casey, of the Pennsylvania legislation, challenged the decision of the Supreme Court by passing the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982. Many argued that both decisions were unconstitutional and violated the rights of women. The controversy of abortion has lasted till today, due to the Roe V. Wade case, the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982, and the argument of the constitutionality of both decisions.
During the 1960’s a sexual revolution took place, but as time progressed, the consequences of this revolution became evident. By this time, abortions performed in a doctor’s office were strictly illegal unless pertaining to the health of the mother. Due to the laws restricting abortions, many women were forced to abort in a back alley procedure that was often fatal. Despite the fact that many maternal deaths were caused by these back alley procedures, the abortion laws stayed in place. In the 1970’s an unmarried pregnant women, identified by the name of Jane...

...Abortion is the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability.[note 1] An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced. The term abortion most commonly refers to the induced abortion of a human pregnancy.
Abortion, when induced in the developed world in accordance with local law, is among the safest procedures in medicine.[1] However, unsafe abortions result in approximately 70,000 maternal deaths and 5 million hospital admissions per year globally.[2] An estimated 44 million abortions are performed globally each year, with slightly under half of those performed unsafely.[3] The incidence of abortion has stabilized in recent years,[3] having previously spent decades declining as access to family planning education and contraceptive services increased.[4] Forty percent of the world's women have access to induced abortions (within gestational limits).[5]
Induced abortion has a long history and has been facilitated by various methods including herbal abortifacients, the use of sharpened tools, physical trauma, and other traditional methods. Contemporary medicine utilizes medications and surgical procedures to induce abortion. The legality, prevalence, cultural and religious status of...